Autumn Glory!

Howdy All! I have been one busy bee since my kiddos went back to the higher institution of learning on Monday.  Monday I spent the entire time they were gone processing tomatoes and making tomato sauce.  MANY, MANY pounds of tomatoes led to 8 pints of nice thick sauce.  In years past, I have not cooked it down enough and it's been a bit watery.  Not this year!  It's some fine looking sauce for sure.  I used 5 different types of tomatoes in it, two different types of romas, pineapple tomato and two others I'm unsure of.  They may be a roma type as they are not juicy but more firm, but the sauce is lip smacking good!  Nothing like homemade sauce made from heirloom tomato varieties.

Yesterday, I aggravated the tendonitis in my wrists by chopping 14 cups of pumpkin.  Now those very fresh, right off the vine pumpkins are HARD, let me tell you.  So, needing to peel and chop that many did a number on my wrists.  But, it was worth it in the end!  I made the above pictured wonderful Autumn Glory Compote (from the Complete Book of Home Preserving).  It is AMAZING! when completed.  Got 8 half pint jars put up, and I have lots of pumpkin cubes left over and another pineapple, so I'll definitely be making more of that to get through the winter.  I can picture it served along with a slice of ham for Christmas dinner.  Or on a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream Yummy!

Since my whole  loving it so much and thought perhaps you may have an overabundance of pumpkins like I do, I thought I'd include it here for you.  Oh, also in the picture above is my first hat ever that I knit myself!  I made it for my wonderful hubby out of soft organic cotton yarn.  It's so cozy, he said he can't wait for the weather to get cold enough for him to need it.  I was kinda happy with it for my first effort, being that I taught myself how to do it using a youtube video.  There are some wonderful uses for youtube, and those are the ones I concentrate on.  Now, I just have to find me a great fiddle teaching video!

Anyways, here's the Autumn Glory Compote. Do give it a go if you're of a mind to.  It's entirely delicious and worth the effort it takes to make it.

2 cinnamon sticks (each about 4 inches broken into pieces)
5 cups cubed seeded peeled pie pumpkin
5 cups cubed cored peeled fresh pineapple
Grated zest and juice of two lemons
1 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
1 cup golden raisins
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups since I like it a little less sweet, the pineapple made up for the less sugar just fine)
1/2 cup water

1.  Prepare canner, jars and lids.
2. Tie cinnamon stick pieces into a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.
3.  In a large stainless saucepan, combine pumpkin and pineapple.  Add lemon zest and juice, apricots, raisins, sugar, water and spice bag.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Discard spice bag.
4.  Using a slotted spoon, pack hot pumpkin mixture into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar.  Ladle hot syrup into jar to cover pumpkin mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot syrup.  Wipe rim.  Center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
5.  Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 25 minutes.  Remove canner lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Bringing a little bit of Autumn into the larder, ~Peacemom